Ultimate Spider-Man

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Far better than Penultimate Spider-Man.

By Hilary Goldstein

Spider-Man has seen more videogame iterations than any other comic-book character -- and not all of them have been good. Take the PC version of Spider-Man 2, which actually killed brain cells. Unlike the console version, which perfectly captured the thrill of swinging through Manhattan, the PC Spidey 2 was a painful overly-simplified mockery of gaming. The mistakes of the past have been addressed in Ultimate Spider-Man, a fitting name for one of the coolest comic-book videogames ever made.

Comics Connection Launched five years ago, the Ultimate Spider-Man comic has been one of Marvel's best-selling books month after month. The Ultimate line stripped Spider-Man of his continuity baggage and returned him back to his roots. Once again, Peter Parker's a high school kid who finds that with great power comes great responsibility. It also leads to a lot of missed classes, late homework and girl troubles.

When Treyarch decided to tap into the USM universe for its next Spidey game, the developer made one very smart decision -- hiring the creators of the comic, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. With Bendis creating the story and scripting every single line of dialogue and Bagley providing pencil designs for the characters, Ultimate Spider-Man is the most authentic comic-book game around. While other games have generous helpings of comic-book touches, USMis the comic come to life.

The connection isn't superficial flash. USM enables gamers to play as both Spider-Man his foe Venom, in a story continued directly frin the comics. The events of the game's story will affect the future of the comics. This alone might make a USM comics fan ecstatic enough to think he has superpowers (you don't), but those who've never read a panel of the books need not worry. Bendis and Treyarch have made certain to fill in the blanks. You can enjoy the well-told story and then return to your normal comics-free life or you might find yourself inspired to pick up the series. Newbie or long-time fans alike can (and likely will) enjoy what USM has to offer.

Gaming Eye for the Spider-Guy Treyarch's last console Spidey game was set in a fairly authentic Manhattan, with skyscrapers that practically touched the sun and lots of clumsy New Yorkers hanging from the rooftops in need of rescue. Forget the New York of old. Manhattan's scaled down for USM, the skyscrapers truncated and the realism replaced with the four-color world of a comic book. People still cling from roofs screaming for help, but at least they don't have as far to fall.

New York is an actual city this time out on PC and while it lacks reflective windows and the perfect skyline, the stunning draw-distance allows you to take in the entire scope of the city any time you gain altitude. The time of day truly transforms the city's appearance. Dusk casts a beautiful orange glow on the buildings, nighttime is brightened by the neon lights of Times Square and mid-afternoon casts marshmallow clouds against a bright blue sky. This is also Ultimate New York, so expect to see comic-book landmarks, including Doctor Strange's house, Empire State University and the Baxter Building.

Treyarch is using a fancy 3D-inking technology that makes the characters, particularly Venom, appear as if they leapt from a comic. The use of moving comic-book panels to frame the story is a continual reminder that Spidey, Venom and all their enemies come straight out of the funny pages. While this trick has been used before, only Comix Zone ajnd Freedom Force have used it to such great effect.

The new technology places a heavy burden on the graphic processor for the console versions, but if your PC is primed for games such as Doom and Far Cry, you'll enjoy stunning visuals. Aside from a great draw-distance, the PC version runs at a consistent 30fps and appears as if it were freshly painted. Even if you have to kill the anti-aliasing or soften the resolution for your PC, this is still a great-looking game.

Show Some Character Many familiar faces from the normal Marvel Universe have made appearances in the Ultimate Universe in the past five years, but almost all of them have been introduced with a new twist. Some have been modernized and others simply exploited for comical fodder. Even casual Spidey fans will know most of the Ultimate characters, but should be prepared for brand new looks, attitudes and origins. Rhino's no longer a dumb guy stuck in a rubber suit, instead he's a wormy genius driving a war machine. Green Goblin's an actual monster, not just a psycho with a Halloween costume and a glider.

USM boasts the most characters to ever appear in a Spidey game, including Nick Fury (think Sam Jackson with an eyepatch), Green Goblin, Electro, Wolverine, Mary "She's Only Fifteen" Jane and many others. Some characters -- Beetle and Silver Sable -- make their Ultimate debuts in the game. This hefty assortment of bosses and allies appear in quick succession, so you won't have to sit around for long wondering when the next big star is going to show up. There's no drag to the story mode, no boring bosses or unsatisfying cut-scenes.